Satyamev Jayate: Aamir Khan throws spotlight on child sex abuse

May 13, 2012

amirkhan


New Delhi, May 13: Whom does a child turn to when the one he trusts with all of his tiny heart turns abuser? In a nut-shell, the second episode of Aamir Khan's television show Satyamev Jayate was simply heart-breaking. It brought out a common but rarely talked-about scourge of society - the sexual abuse of children - often by people they trust the most.

Aamir spoke to several such victims, their family members, experts and social workers who came on the show on Sunday to narrate their horrific experiences of being molested, sodomized and cowed into silence with the threat of bodily harm.

Given the seriousness of the issue, the tone of the show was emotional but surprisingly light, with victims facing the camera squarely and even joking with the host who was tearing up often. The heartbreaking story of Anamika, who was sexually abused by her teacher, underscored the importance of parents listening to and trusting their children.

Aamir quoted from a survey conducted in 2007 by the Women and Child Development Ministry and the NGO Prayas in association with Unicef and Save the Children across 13 states and with a sample size of 12,447. The shocking details were laid bare to the entire nation.

The survey found that 53.22 per cent of children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Delhi had reported the highest percentage of such incidents at that time. In 50% of the cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most children did not report the matter to anyone.

The National Study on Child Abuse is one of the largest empirical in-country studies of its kind in the world. This study also complements the UN Secretary General's Global Study on Violence against Children 2006.

The case of Cinderella Prakash and Harish Iyer

Cinderella Prakash was abused by a 55-year-old man she trusted when she was 12 years old. Not only could she not tell her mother about her tormentor, she spent years running away from him. Similarly, Harish Iyer spent 11 years in trauma, being abused by a man he trusted as a child. He was sodomized and when he went to his mother after much deliberation, he was not taken seriously. Aamir called on Harish's mother who admitted she was wrong in not believing her child.

It is not often highlighted but 53% of children who went through child sexual abuse were boys, according to the 2007 report, the aim of which was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of child abuse, with a view to facilitate the formulation of appropriate policies and programmes meant to effectively curb and control the problem of child abuse in India.

Trust your child

Harish was threatened into silence by his tormentor. Experts Anuja Gupta of RAHI NGO RAHI (Recovering and Healing from Incest) spoke of the child psychology behind keeping silent about abuse. She advised parents watching the show to trust their children when they confided in them about any instance of sexual abuse. She asked parents to "listen to your child, and apologise to your child for letting this happen to him/her under your watch." Nishit Kumar of the agency Childline spoke of the infamous 2001 case of sexual abuse of boys at the Anchorage Shelters.

Good touch, bad touch workshop for children

Aamir conducted a 'Good Touch, Bad Touch' workshop for children across the nation to teach them about the importance of understanding sexual abuse, recognising predators and confiding in their parents if abuse happens. Through interactivity and a series of diagrams he taught the children the importance of having a 'bodyguard' or someone they implicitly trusted to take care of them.

Aamir appealed to people to press the government to pass the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Bill in Parliament and pledge their support against child sex abuse by SMSing Y to 5782711.

Harish gets a surprise

Harish said he was a big fan of actress Sridevi and his obsession with Bollywood, along with his trusted German Shepherd dog, played a big role in keeping him sane through the years of sexual abuse. His surprise was almost comical when Sri Devi was called on by Aamir to meet her arguably biggest fan. She gave Harish a gift-wrapped package and sat beside the flustered fan through the rest of the show.

Aamir has said he would highlight 13 such contentious issues in his show, which has already had the government sitting up and taking notice.


Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 24,2020

Jaipur, Jan 24: Actor Sonali Bendre has said that she came into the movies to make money but fell in love with the profession where she discovered herself and found her family and friends. The 45-year-old actor said she owed a lot to Bollywood which is the most wonderful place to be, both mentally as well as creatively.

"I came into movies to make money and I fell in love with the profession. It was the most wonderful place to be, mentally and creatively," she said.

"I found myself there, found my friends and family over there. I owe a lot to Bollywood. It was one of the most wonderful things that happened to me," Sonali said here on Thursday.

The actor said her entry into movies by purely because she happened to be at the right place and at the right time.

Sonali added when acting offers came her way she knew that in no other field could she have made as much money, and as quickly, as she did in movies.

"Basically, I got into this because it was great money," she said.

The actor was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival and also talked about books and how her book club named ‘Sonali's Book Club' came into being.

Sonali, who has been convalescing after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US, said that books gave her strength and kept her afloat while she was going through one of the toughest phases of her life.

The actor was diagnosed with high grade cancer in July 2018 and underwent treatment for it in New York.

"Books were my friends other than my sisters while I was growing up. I'm nowhere remotely connected to movies. I have a very middle class Maharashtrian upbringing. When I got into movies, it was like being on another planet. Again in this world where it was easy to feel the peer pressure and do certain things or not do certain things, or look a certain way, books kept me grounded," she said.

"'A Gentleman in Moscow' (a 2016 novel by Amor Towles) was uplifting and I got so much strength from that book during my treatment in New York," Sonali said.

The actor, who often shares posts about books and authors on social media, said one should stop feeling guilty about not completing a book.

"Sometimes you start judging yourself by not completing a book, but I have reached a stage where I understand that I'm a book-lover, but that doesn't mean I will like all the books. It's okay if you don't like a book," she said.

Sonali also said that nobody wanted to know about the intellectual capacity of Bollywood stars as it was not "entertainment enough or gossipy enough".

Earlier before her session, Sonali launched author Ashwin Sanghi's latest book ‘The Vault of Vishnu', the sixth book in the Bharat series, at the 13th edition of the festival.

Comments

Advisor
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jan 2020

Please read the religious books once in your life time specially the QURAN which tells lot about this life and its journey and to recognize the true ONE GOD who has no partners and the creator of all that Exists . God asks us to use our intellect and find logical answers for many of our life's query which is a guidance to HUMANITY.  READ with a OPEN HEART without bias... Good LUCK

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 25,2020

New Delhi, May 25: Sending out good wishes on the auspicious of Eid, actor Sara Ali Khan on Sunday shared a priceless childhood throwback picture, along with her picture from the current days.

The 'Simmba' star put out the cute picture on Instagram where she is seen clad in a pink hijab, while on the other hand, the second picture features the younger Sara as she is seen sporting a black dupatta while she tries to imitate the younger self.

Along with the picture, she wrote," Eid Mubarak," and urged people to stay safe by staying at home and urged them to stay positive amid the COVID-19 outbreak with "#staysafe #stayhome #staypositive."

The post on the photo-sharing platform garnered more than one lakh likes within an hour of being posted.

Lately, the 'Kedarnath' star has been keeping her fans updated on her quarantine activities by sharing pictures and videos of her quarantine activities.

Earlier, Sara took a trip down the memory lane and reminisced her graduation day by sharing throwback pictures from the ceremony.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 2,2020

Los Angeles, May 2: Pop diva Madonna has revealed that she has tested positive for the COVID-19 anitbodies.

The singer shared the news in the 14th edition of her “Quarantine Diary” on Instagram TV.

“Took a test the other day and I found out that I have the antibodies. So tomorrow I’m just going to go for a long drive in the car, and I’m gonna roll down the window and I’m gonna breathe in the COVID-19 air. Yup. I hope the sun is shining,” Madonna said.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US, antibody tests are used to determine whether or not a person has been exposed to COVID-19 by finding proteins the body produces to fight the virus.

However, the CDC has yet to confirm if the possession of antibodies is equal to immunity.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.